Pressure-controller.



N. I. GARRISON & H. W. STEELE.

PRESSURE CONTROLLER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. I918.

1,280,010. PatentedSept. 24,1918.

.72 E ED. f 0

/1 TTOHNEVS 010.,WASH1NOIUN. n. c.

ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NIJAI-I I. GARRISON AND HARRY W. STEELE, OF EL RENO, OKLAHOMA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PRESSURE-CONTROLLER.

Patented Sept. 2a, 1918.

Application filed May 2, 1918. Serial No. 232,187.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NIJAH I. GARRISON and HARRY W. STEELE, citizens of the United States, and residents of El Reno, in the county of Canadian and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and Improved Pressure-Controller, of which the following is a description.

Our invention while adapted for other uses, is more especially designed for regulating the flow of gas through a valve or the like, in a pipe or main so that the pressure in the distributing mains or on the outlet side of the valve will be maintained constant, or substantially so.

The invention has particular reference to a controlling valve of the type in which a weight arm or like means is employed, tending to open the valve, together with valve; closing means subject to the pressure in the distributing main or at the low pressure side of the valve and arranged to give a closing movement to the valve when the pressure on the low side thereof rises above the predetermined pressure to which the valve-opening weight arm is adjusted.

The prime object of our invention is to provide a controller which will automatically maintain a uniform pressure on the low side of a gas regulator of the indicated type, regardless of fluctuations on the high pressure side or of the demand on the low pressure side or other varying conditions and which will obviate the necessity of adding weights to the regulating lever or the taking off of weights, or the manual shifting of the lever weight in order to regulate the pressure in the distributing mains.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of practical examples of the invention.

Figure 1 is a partly sectional side elevation of a pressure controller embodying our invention, showing the same applied;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation largely diagrammatic indicating a slight modification of the mechanical form of our improved controller.

In the illustrated example the letter -A indicates a high pressure gas main; B, a valve therein; 0, a distributing pipe at the low pressure side of the valve; D, the valve stem; E, an arm having a weight F and acting upon the valve stem tending to open the valve; and G represents a known form of pressure regulator tending to close the valve against the action of the weight arm E, said regulator being of the type employing a diaphragm 9 connected with the valve stem and clamped between an upper diaphragm cover 9' and a lower cover 9 the chamber 9 above the diaphragm between the same and the top cover g having an inlet nipple I-I connected by a pipe I with the distributing main C, so that the diaphragm at the topis subject to the pressure in the main at the low side of the valve. The arrangement is such that should the pressure at the low side of the valve rise above a predetermined degree to which the weight F is set, the increased pressure on the diaphragm will tend to close the valve D, thereby reducing the pressure in the distributing main C, the valve being again opened whenever the pressure falls to the predetermined degree. The elements re-; ferred to. are of known form and are simply given as one type of valve-regulating means to which our invention is applicable.

In the form shown in Fig. 1, we provide an eduction pipe 10 in communication with the chamber 9 the nipple H being advantageously utilized for the purpose, said eduction pipe communicating by a lateral section 11 with an exhaust pipe 13. A pressure relief valve 12 is provided to control the exhaust of gas from the chamber g said valve in the present instance being fitted in the lateral pipe section 11. The

stem 14 of the relief valve is connected with i a lever 15 fulcrumed between its ends as at 16 on any suitable fixed support, such as a the lever at the opposite side of the fulcrum from the valve 12 is pivotally connected as at 19 with a suitable pressure responsive device such as the gas bell 20 of a gasometer 21 into which a pipe 22 leads, said pipe tapping the distributing main C as at 28.

The arrangement of the lever 15 relatively to the gas bell 20 and the valve 12 is such that the said valve will be maintained closed so long as the predetermined pressure is maintained in the distributing main- C. Upon a lowering of the pressure in the main C below the predetermined degree the bell 20 will drop, thereby through the lever 15 opening the valve 12 and relieving the pressure on the diaphragm 5 thus permit ting the weight arm E to open the valve B. The valve 12 will remain open so long as the pressure at the high side of the valve is below that required to be maintained in the low pressure main 0. Thus, the weight arm E is free to act on the valve B even to the extent of opening the same to admit full pressure at the high side of the valve to the distributing main C. As soon as the pressure again rises in the distributing main C to the point fixed therefor, the gas bell 20 will rise and close the valve 12. Practical tests have shown that a substantially constant pressure can be maintained in the distributing main by the use of our described device, which, it will be seen, has the essential function of relieving the pressure on the pressure controlled valve-closing means G whenever the pressure falls below the predetermined degree, said controlling device being itself subject to the pressure in the distributing main or like part with which it is associated.

In the form shown in Fig. 1 the pressure pipe 22 taps the main 0 at the under side. In the form shown in Fig. 2, the parts referred to are in the main the same as in Fig. 1 and therefore indicated by the same reference characters; the variation only is in the gasometer 21 which is in the form of comparatively low cylindrical container having a corresponding gas bell 20, said container being suitably secured as at 21 tothe regulator G. The higher cylinder 21 of Fig. 1 is intended to hold oil in which the gas bell 20 is immersed, whereas the shorter holder 21 will in practice contain a heavier liquid such as mercury.

It is found in practice that although the relief valve 12 is maintained open so long as the pressure in the low pressure main falls below the predetermined point, the amount of gas escaping is found inconsequential in amount and not objectionable it being understood that the eduction pipe or nipple 10 has a minute passage. In practice, also, however, the exhaust 13 has been piped to the usual main pipe (not shown) leading from the dead weight relief valve of the low pressure gas system so that the escaping gas is thus carried out through the roof of the regulator house.

It is to be noted that with the valve 12 open the action of the weight arm in opening the valve 13 is quickly effective because of the pressure above the diaphragm being more quickly released. For example, assuming the pressure in C. is 10 ozs. and that it drops instantly to 9 ozs. In a standard regulator, the gas in g would be forced out through pipe I into C by a pressure of 10 ozs. in g and against a pressure of 9 ozs. in C; '5. 6., it would be forced out by a net pressure of only 1 oz. l/Vith the pressure controller attached, valve 12 opens immediately upon the drop in pressure to 9 oz. Gas then escapes from 9 into the open air, under a net pressure of 10 02s., instead of under a pressure of only 1 oz., as in the first case. Accordingly the pressure holding down the diaphragm 9 will be more quickly released under a 10 oz. pressure with the controller than under only 1 oz. pressure without the controller. It should be noted further that with the controller the gas not only escapes under 10 oz. pressure through pipe 10, but that the avenue of I escape through pipe I is also open, under 1 oz. pressure. The same theory of course applies, whatever may be the drop in pressure. Thus, by relieving the pressure above the valve g below that in the distributing main 0, the control is exceedingly sensitive and a practical constant pressure under the conditions for which the device is intended is maintained.

We would state in conclusion that while the illustrated examples constitute practical embodiments of our invention, we do not limit ourselves strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a regulating valve adapted to be installed in a main to control the flow of fluid, means tending to open said valve, adevice to close said valve, said device being responsive to pressure at the low pressure side of said valve, and means to relieve said valveclosing device from the pressure at said low pressure side upon a reduction of said pressure, the lastmentioned means being itself responsive to the pressure at said low pressure side.

2. In pressure regulating means for gas mains and the like, and employing a regulating valve with means tending to close the valve, and meansresponsive to pressure at the low pressure side of'the valve and tending to close the same -a relief valve for said pressure-responsive device, and means to control said relief valve, said lastmentioned means being subject to pressure at the low pressure side of the first valve and adapted to maintain the relief valve open upon a fall of pressure below a predetermined degree at said low pressure side.

i 3. The combination with a valveto regulate the flow of fluid through a main or the like, means tending to open said valve, a pressure chamber, a pressure-responsive device in said chamber adapted to impart a closing movement to said valve, a nipple on said chamber, connectionbetween said nipple and the low pressure side of the regulating valve, an exhaust from said nipple, a relief valve to control outflow through said exhaust, and means controlling said relief valve, said last-mentioned means being responsive to pressure at the low pressure side of the relief valve, and adapted to maintain the relief valve closed under predetermined pressure at said low pressure side, a reduction of pressure at said low pressure side degree.

NIJAH I. GARRISON. HARRY W. STEELE.

c0)!" 0! this pltent any be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patente,

. Wnhington, D. G." 

